


⑨ Souls - Ashes of Humanity

by YuuyaKizami21



Series: ⑨ Souls [2]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, Souls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:35:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27043576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuuyaKizami21/pseuds/YuuyaKizami21
Summary: Cirno decides to take the Soul of Nature inside her, instead of giving back all of her elements to it. Now with the world in shambles, Cirno and Daiyousei continued on a new quest, to find any remains of life.
Relationships: Cirno/Daiyousei (Touhou Project)
Series: ⑨ Souls [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973773
Kudos: 2





	1. Descent

I held the Soul's light onto my hand, and I closed it, trapping it inside it.

"W... What are you doing!? Cirno-Chan..."

I couldn't answer. I've made my choice. And the eclipse enclosed the sun, totally. Darkness came back, surging across the lands I once call home.

And in this darkness, the cold rages on. I looked over to see Daiyousei, shivering in the extreme cold.

Pitying her, I conjured a ball of fire, and asked her to hold it within her hands. She slowly and nervously complied, and the flame floated gracefully above her palms.

I begin to wonder, after I made this choice, what is the fate of Gensokyo's denizens? I stood up, and said, "Come on, Dai. We need to go now."

She nodded, and stood up from her kneeling as well. As we walked towards the path leading down the mountain, we took one last glance at the body lying on it's own pool of blood.

"Piece... If only I can convince you that time..."

"It's not totally your fault, Cirno-Chan. She started the argument herself."

Slowly, Piece's body begin to fade away into cinders. Perhaps she would respawn in Hell, if it's even alright there as of now.

We turned our backs once again, towards the path descending the mountaintop. As we walk down, we see more of the effects of my choice.

Flowers, trees and other plants alike begin to die out because of the cold and the lack of sunlight.

There has to be a way to get rid of the eclipse, and restore light to the land. Maybe someone might know... Who still survived this armageddon.

We stopped in our tracks as we heard rustling from the nearby bushes. Conjuring a crystal sword, I took a stance as Daiyousei hid behind me.

A second later, the creature from the bush emerges. One of the white wolf tengu, with glowing white eyes, and her skin has dark marks all over.

"What happened to you...?" I asked myself.

Daiyousei trembled behind me as she looked around. More of the wolf tengus begin to encircle our position. They never say a single word from their lips, which makes the eeriness even more spine chilling, for Daiyousei, that is.

Some of them were carrying broadswords, while the rest carried a short sword and white shields, with a red leaf painted onto the latter.

One of them approached first, and proceeded to swing her broadsword horizontally which I dodged by stepping backwards once, with Daiyousei.

As she still recovers from her attempted attack, I swing my sword wildly with both hands, until she falls and her body reduces into cinders.

But there is no time to celebrate as there are still like, 5 of them left.

I put the sword in my left hand, while I raised my right hand up, and a bolt of lightning is conjured. The wolves begin to raise their shields, while the ones with only swords hid behind them.

Smirking, I threw the bolt upwards, before making a barrier above myself and Daiyousei.

The bolt that hits the sky above us, returns as a hail of homing bolts which strikes down on the tengus, reducing them into ashes afterwards.

"Let's go."

I said, and Daiyousei followed me, continuing our descent. When we finally reach the bottom however, I see the path ahead is covered in a gray mist.

"Something tells me that there's something dangerous beyond that mist, Cirno-Chan."

Wasting no time, I turned my short sword into a curved one before walking forward.

"Hey wait up! Don't leave me behind..."

We slowly walked across the mist, leaving the Youkai mountain behind us.

\- To Be Continued


	2. White Wolf Tengu Champion, Momiji Inubashiri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After descending from the Youkai Mountain, Cirno and Daiyousei were ambushed by a pack of wolves.

As soon as we enter the mist, it faded away, revealing what's in front of us. The pathway, leading to the left and to the right, a small spring.

"I can't imagine how cold the water is now, with all that's happening."

"Could've been worse." I replied.

Then we heard howling coming from the woods surrounding the spring. 4 wolves, with fur as white as snow, and eyes glowing in a white light.

They growl, as they look like they were ready to pounce. But they stopped as another figure jumped down from one of the trees.

A short white haired wolf tengu, bearing a broadsword and a shield. She slowly raised her shield and bowed before readying her sword.

"You are now facing Inubashiri Momiji... Prepare yourself."

Conjuring a small ice shield myself for my left hand, I made a stance as the Tengu named Momiji took a step forward.

"Dai, hide somewhere safe."

Daiyousei nodded, and ran off with the flame still being clutched over her hands, warming her.

As Momiji walked, the 4 wolves around her struck first by trying to pounce me. I rolled away, making them landing in a dogpile, giving me an opportunity to shoot a bolt of lightning at them, killing them instantly.

And to my surprise I feel the blunt force from a shield bashing the side of my head. So she used the wolves as distraction.

As soon as I felt myself stagger from the Shield's bash, Momiji decided to swing her broadsword down, which I slapped away using my own shield, breaking her guard.

I used the opportunity to plunge my ice sword into her body, but she still has some fight in her as she pushed me off, and pulled herself out from the blade.

She then whistled, as I look at her curiously. And before I knew it, another blunt force hit me on my left hip, sending me flying to a nearby rock.

When I recover I see them. Momiji is no longer alone, but now she is accompanied with that werewolf that I thought I had impaled back at the village.

"Figured out where did you go after what I did to you back at the village..."

The werewolf raised her spiked club, as Momiji shielded the former and marched forwards, attempting to bash her shield onto me.

But I widen my eyes as she suddenly ducked down, and the Werewolf leapt over her in order to pounce me. I took a step back, and retaliated by bashing the top of her head in, using the hilt of my sword.

A loud boom was heard upon impact to the skull, as Momiji then tries to thrust her blade into me, but I blocked it and bashed her away.

I jumped at her, attempting to strike down my blade heavily with the jump, but Momiji held her guard, and flipped me over, and I fell to the ground behind her.

She then turned around and slashed at my downed body. Having no time to recover, I feel that slash making contact across my ice armor.

It barely dent the armor, due to how strengthened it is. I leapt back up to my feet, and tried to fight her back by attempting a thrust attack, which she parried by smacking my sword away with her shield.

With my guard broken, Momiji then thrusted her own sword, into my neck. And when she pulled out, blood gushes out. Quickly, I froze the wound, and jumped back to retreat.

However I was then knocked forwards to the ground right after the jump. That werewolf had recovered, and has succeeded in pouncing me when I'm distracted.

I can feel her sinking her fangs into my neck, as I struggle to make her release me.

I couldn't reach for my flask... At this rate...

And it was then when her hold was suddenly released. I looked to see Daiyousei had tackled the werewolf using her shoulder.

Slowly, I got up and reached for my flask and took a sip. Feeling my strength back, I stood back up perfectly, and I conjured a bolt of lightning before throwing it towards the fallen werewolf, whom Daiyousei just bashed away.

With that one bolt, the werewolf gets struck, and shivered down as she got onto the ground, before her body reduces into cinders.

Now with only Momiji who is still here, I readied my sword and much to her surprise I threw it towards her.

She managed to knock the flying sword away using her shield, not noticing that I had conjured yet another blade, a curved one, and slashed her left arm, which is carrying the shield off from her body.

Momiji knelt down, holding the wound as she looked at me with pained eyes.

Letting my conjured weapons melt themselves, I pulled out Roukanken from it's scabbard, as Momiji looked at her blade.

She looked down for a moment, before I walked to the area behind her, and took position a feet away from her.

And to my surprise Momiji struck the blade into her own stomach, and eviscerated it.

"Do it."

I struck the blade down across the back of her neck, and she fell forwards to the ground before her body reduces into cinders.

I knelt down, feeling exhausted from the fight. And when I looked up, I see Momiji's blade had dropped down from where she just fell.

Before falling down, she had struck the blade to the ground.

I walked forward to the blade, and covered it in crystallized ice. Both me and Daiyousei sat down around the blade, resting for a bit.

After a while, we stood up and continued our walk towards the Human Village.

\- To Be Continued


	3. The Survivors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reaching the human village, Cirno discovers the horrors that she had caused due to her choice.

We continued our walk towards the Village, and as we walk even closer, rain falls.

Instinctively, I erected a barrier above Daiyousei, so that the flame she is holding didn't go off.

"You know, you don't need to worry about me too much, Cirno-Chan."

"You can barely fight, Dai. You'll only be safe when I'm around."

"W... Well..."

"No more words. We need to head to the Village. Find out if there's anyone still alive."

"Y.. Yes."

The path ahead is dark, with not even a spark from a fire. Maybe my choice really doomed even me.

Slowly, we walked forwards, until we feel our feet being slowed down.

"Umm, Dai."

"Yes, Cirno-Chan?"

"Is the ground here always make our walking heavy?"

"No... Not at all."

Looking down, we see bones... Finger bones, and their hands grasping our feet.

"Damn, Ambush!"

"Cirno-Chan!"

I pulled out Roukanken, and slashed the hands off, and afterwards they emerge from the ground. Bony remains of humans, rising from the ground beneath us.

"Dai, on 3... We run."

The bones begun to walk towards us, as I see an opening in the middle.

"3!"

We dashed forwards, never looking back. We ran, not caring our legs are killing us from the long run.

We didn't look back, not until we see the Village gate ahead of us... Which is narrowly opened. I let Daiyousei squeeze herself inside first, as I turned around to see those bones running towards us, with stakes and stones.

"Water sign - Flash flood!"

I chanted, as I manipulated the mist around me into water, and a wave washed over the bones. Afterwards, I freeze them using "Ice sign - Perfect Freeze!"

They stop in their tracks. I use this opportunity to squeeze myself through the gate, and closed it behind me.

"Look who do we have here."

I looked up, to see Mokou and Keine-Sensei. Their faces are clearly unpleased, and they both folded their arms.

"Have you realized what have you done, Cirno?"

"I have doomed us all, Keine-Sensei."

"Why did you come back here?"

"Making sure you people are still alive."

"We are still alive, because Mokou's immortal, and I'm half human, although we still have hope in us. Look at what you've done. The humans here... They became hollow."

I looked at the people behind them. Their skins are deadly pale, and their eyes are glowing white. They had clearly lost the light... And hope in them.

"Hollow?"

"They had lost all sense of hope and positivity from your actions. The end of the world turned them into these vegetable like state."

"But there's maybe a way to fix it... Even though I absorbed the Soul inside me, maybe I can still somehow stop this!"

"Hmph. You need to get to Myouren... Perhaps someone would know what to do."

"Got it."

I walked pass them, and I see Daiyousei kneeling down in fear of seeing the hollowed humans.

"Let's go, Dai."

"Yes."

We walked over, exploring the village first. We stopped at a place called Suzunaan at first, which rents book. What's renting, again?

I walked inside, and I see the proprietor standing behind her desk.

"Welcome to Suzunaan... Even though in this state, I can still welcome even fairies. How can I help?"

Her skin is also pale white, her eyes still had her life in her, although they are greying.

"How are you feeling?"

"Cold. So cold, empty, hopeless. But at least part of me still have hope."

"And why is that?"

"People still rented books."

"I... I see."

I bid my goodbye to her, as she waved her hand slowly. We walked out, and headed towards the schoolhouse where we last left Remilia and her group.

They were still there, with the maid being half hollow. Her skin is pale, and her eyes are greyish. She still smiled, as she seems to still have a purpose, to serve that vampire.

"Although me and Flan are both comfortable knowing that we don't have to worry about the sun anymore, I'm afraid that I must not be grateful for your actions to doom the world."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Look at Sakuya's state. You don't get to be sorry."

"I said I'm fine, Remilia-Sama."

"But Meiling's--" Flandre is about to speak, but a hand covered her mouth.

"Don't mention that, Flan." Koishi said, as Flandre continued to muffle out her words.

"At least I still have friends at the temple... And Seija." Nue said.

"You're too flattering, Nue."

"Shut up."

As they continue to bicker, I turned around after saying "I should go. My quest is still not finished."

But then Flandre and Koishi stopped me by holding my shoulders.

"You're not going alone with that Greater Fairy. We're both coming with you as well."

"You don't know how dangerous our quest may be. You should stay with your sisters, don't make them worry."

"We're doing this on our own free will, not our sisters' stubborn ones."

Sighing, I said "Alright then. But don't even think about slowing me and Dai down."

"Got it, boss." Koishi replied as Flandre just nodded.

We then headed out, not as a couple but a party of people, aiming to find a way to solve this incident. We headed over to Myouren this time, and we see that the temple gate is wide open.

We walked in, and as soon as we did that Mouse Youkai greeted us again.

"Congratulations, on dooming us all."

"Well, you weren't there to stop me." I said back to her.

"Whatever. You don't wanna get inside though... Ichirin's acting weird."

"Weird? How so?"

"She's muttering things about you, some 'Mystic City' and other things."

"Mystic City?"

"I think that's in Makai, though. Never been there since forever. Now just get out from my sight, will you?"

Deep down, I want to give this mouse a slap across her face. Too bad I'm not so much as a person who would attack for pity reasons... Well, I was once that Fairy who would do so. But now, in this incident I won't let emotions get the better of me.

We marched into the temple building, and in front of us we see a giant being, clad in smoke.

"Huh... Unzan."

"Hmm? You're that Ice Fairy... Turned elemental aren't you? Bring Ichirin-Sama... To me... We need to talk."

"But I don't know where she--"

Then we heard a voice behind us, cutting my words.

"Fear not, Unzan. I'm here already."

The 4 of us turned around, to see a blue haired girl wearing a dark blue hood, carrying a scythe on her right hand and a large metal ring thingy in her left.

My companions looked at me with worry, as I conjured a lightning bolt on my right hand.

"What do you want with me, Priestess?"

"Free the Soul from you. Then Gensokyo and the world will be saved."

"But you would kill me in the end. And if you do, You won't be able to get me to give it back all of the elements I have acquired."

"I have no reason to believe those words... Of a being that has brought doom to this world. Fear not, Unzan... Byakuren... Let me end this."

\- To Be Continued


	4. Priestess Ichirin, I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichirin stands before Cirno, and the both of them engaged in a duel of life and death.

I threw the bolt of lightning on my hand with full strength.

However the priestess caught the bolt using her ring, before she dropped it. The lightning that's still there were casted over to the floor of the temple.

She dashed forward, with her scythe swinging wildly. I managed to dodge some of the swings, giving me enough time to conjure an ice shield to block the 7th swing.

I delivered my fist towards her stomach, making her gag and kneeling down.

"Not bad... Not bad."

I took another stance, as I noticed Flandre and Koishi pulling out their weapons, but I blocked their way.

"No, you two. This is my fight. Help me if I'm in danger only."

Both of them stood down, and sat down on the floor.

I turned my gaze back to the priestess as I conjured a crystallized greatsword, letting my shield melt itself and freeze again to enlarge the sword's blade.

The priestess slowly walked towards me, before vanishing into thin air. I shook, and took glances to my surroundings until I turned around to see her standing emotionlessly.

She then shot out a few danmaku, which I dodged, and they hit a wall behind me. I swing my sword once and let a slash of light surge towards her. However she easily broke the slash down using her scythe.

I quickly stepped forward as she tries to recover from her blocking, and I managed to get a hit on her by swinging the blade diagonally twice. She flinched with each hit, and she stepped back.

"Ice Sign - Icicle Fall!"

I chanted, as the cold air around the temple then turned into icicles that rained down on the Priestess.

She managed to cut the icicles down before they hit her, as I moved forward to make a downward slash onto her.

However she managed to hook her scythe onto the greatsword, and used the momentum to throw me away towards a wall. I managed to recover in time, and leapt from the wall and back to her performing a flying thrust.

My greatsword pierced right through her heart, as she then coughed out blood and knelt down. I pulled my sword back out, and I took several deep breaths as I see her getting up again.

"What is she made of...!?" I asked myself.

She moved forwards with a decent amount of speed, and swung the scythe in a seemingly gentle way. However as I blocked it, the greatsword instantly broke in half. She had used an abnormal amount of strength, yet disguised it under a gentle swing.

However she still recovers from the previous attack, and using the remains of my blade I leapt to the space behind her, and I plunged my blade into her back, and it protruded through her stomach.

I pulled it back out, and She knelt down before she stopped taking breaths. She fell towards the ground, lifeless.

Then, I heard whimpering coming from the smoke giant. His whimpering slowly turns into screeches, and into an otherworldly scream which made me and my companions cover our ears.

A dark grey mist begins to fill the temple, obscuring most of my vision. And as it dissipated, I see the priestess slowly getting up.

I prepared myself, as I see my current adversary stood in front of me. Her eyes glowing white, with black marks across her body. She has gone hollow... This whole time?

Now the Smoke Giant also took a stance as well. This won't be an easy battle for me.

"Prepare thine fate, Elemental."

\- To Be Continued


	5. Priestess Ichirin, II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unzan joins the battle, reviving Ichirin who turns out to be a Hollowed being. Feeling a bit unfair, Cirno allows both Flandre and Koishi to join in as well, while Daiyousei remained in hiding.

I readied myself as both the giant and the priestess approached me.

"You two, you're free to help."

I said to Flandre and Koishi, who spent their leisure playing rock-paper-scissors.

"Finally, some good fight. I'll take on the giant then."

Koishi pulls out a small knife, and she disappeared from sight. And before I noticed it she appears behind the giant, shooting heart shaped danmaku at it before giving it a flurry of stabs which were obviously useless although the danmaku did some knocking into it.

The giant then proceeds to make giant fists of smoke to attack Koishi, which she dodged as if they were just slow danmaku.

Flandre instead used a strange object which she called "Laevatein" as a weapon.

Both of us stepped forward, and swung our weapons at the Priestess, who ducked down, and she kicked Flandre away before grabbing me by my neck, and started to choke me.

Quickly, I conjured a fire ball and plunged it into her body, carving a hole in her and she released me, before she held her gaping hole of a wound which heals in the smoke from the giant.

"Koishi, keep attacking the giant! I think I know how to beat them."

"Roger dodger!"

In which she fired more danmaku, as me and Flandre continued on fighting the Priestess.

I turned my sword into a spear, making me melt the shield in the process, and I threw it at the Priestess's direction. She managed to easily knock it off using her scythe, and Flandre jumped, using my back as a launching pad and landed down with a downward swing using her Laevatein.

However the priestess blocked the attack using her scythe, making Flandre widening her eyes in shock, and she continued to attack relentlessly, which were all blocked by the scythe.

"Ice sign - Icicle machine gun, Flandre! Get down!"

I conjured a small sphere of ice in front of me, which shoots out a flurry of icicles towards the Priestess. Flandre then crashed herself onto the floor, making way for the icicles.

The priestess just used her strange ring to knock each of the icicles away, in an inhuman speed and resilience.

As the icicles still stormed her, I flew towards her, conjuring a short sword to slash her. However she managed to hook her scythe to my blade, and I was frozen in place.

"Taboo - Laevatein!" This time Flandre strikes down, her weapon covered in flames.

But then, the Priestess then kicked me off before sidestepping Flandre's attack which missed, hit the floor and causing the floor of the building to crack in half.

The priestess then proceeded to kick Flandre in the side of her skull, knocking her down. At that time I already recovered, conjuring a small shard of ice and I plunged it through her back.

By this time, Koishi has filled the giant with holes using her danmaku, and shouted "Now, Flan!"

This was the plan the whole time. With me and Flandre attacking the priestess, Koishi weakens the giant first and as the Priestess is busy with facing us ending with a mortal wound, Flandre would then crush that giant's 'eye' in order to vanquish it for good.

Flandre then cast her hand towards the giant, and balled her fist. In an instant, a hole shows itself by exploding on the giant's eyes. The giant then disappears slowly into thin air, as the priestess looked at what happened with disbelief.

She coughed out blood, before kneeling down and falling down towards the floor.

"Is it... Over already?" I asked.

Flandre and Koishi also took their breaths deeply, and that's when we heard that giant's voice again.

"When smoke and ashes art two, a flame ignites..."

The smoke from the room then seeped itself inside the Priestess's lifeless body on the floor. Her fingers moved a bit, before she stood up. Her eyes were glowing brighter than ever, and smoke begins to enshroud her figure like an aura.

"Thou art both, and fire befits thee..."

\- To Be Continued


	6. Priestess Ichirin, III (End)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichirin, in a desperate struggle fuses with Unzan, becoming more aggressive than ever. Cirno, Flandre and Koishi struggled against this new phase.

The priestess gave us an unearthly grin, before she turned into smoke. It was then when both Flandre and Koishi were grabbed in their throats by an unseen force.

I scanned the area, to see no enemies. But seeing that both of their faces are now turning pale from being choked, I quickly thought of using

"Water sign - Condensation!"

Using my water element, I gathered whatever vapor is left in the temple, and it washed over the two little sisters. Whatever that has constricted their movements had let go of them.

"What was that just now!?" Koishi asked.

"No clue. But I think we just made her even more pissed off!"

"It looks like both that giant and the priestess has become one being. Defeating her now is nearly impossible since she is now immortal as a smoke!"

"How do you know that, Cirno!?" Koishi asked.

"No idea."

The both of them then fell to the ground after my answer.

"No idea!? But that does sound cool!"

"Cool!? Look at our situation, three-eyes! We are being killed here!"

As the both of them continue to bicker like the children they are, I took a sip from my flask to heal my wounds from the previous encounter, before I feel a presence behind me. I looked to see a hand of smoke attempting to grab me by my throat, but I stepped back, and splashed the smoke with more water that is condensed from the vapors that I manipulated.

Seeing as the water managed to drive off the smoke, this sparks an idea.

"Water sign - room of tiny droplets!"

With this, the water that I just splashed then bursted out and scattered itself into very small droplets. It was then when the priestess gave away her position.

I conjured a crystallized greatsword, and I swung it at her, which she blocked. However she didn't notice my left hand is free, which I used to push her away, before thrusting the blade into her body, which of course phased through. She had become intangible and undying due to her fusion with the smoke.

What should I do? If conventional attacks don't work...

I should not use lightning as of now, due to the amount of water here. It could lead to friendly fire. So instead I pulled out Roukanken from it's scabbard and took a stance.

"The imbued Roukanken... The legendary blade that now can cut even immortal beings... Even me, an undying smoke."

The priestess said, as she conjured two scythes this time, and swiped them once. A slash of smoke then went towards me, which I easily stop by slashing them.

Afterwards we clashed, our blades hitting each other. We locked our blades, until the priestess kicked me away, and shot a few danmaku at me.

I managed to dodge it by leaning over to my left, before shooting an ice blue laser at her, which phases through her body. She then thrusts her left hand as her scythe disappear into smoke to grapple me.

"Time sign - Clock up"

And in a second, just as her hand is a millimeter away from my head, I sped up to get to the space above her, and I plunged Roukanken down to her back of the neck, and I pushed it deeper until I hear her spine crack.

"I call this, a flying thrust attack, Level 2!" I said, naming the attack I just did.

I pulled the sword out, and imbued the blade with light using my light manipulation.

"Light Sign - Immortality Severance!"

And I bashed the priestess using my shoulder, before Flan and Koishi pinned down her hands to the floor with their weapons, and as she lie defenseless on the floor, I plunged the imbued blade into her heart. And as I pulled the blade out, the Priestess's body bursts into a puff of smoke which then fades away.

\- To Be Continued


	7. Prelude to Armageddon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After defeating Ichirin, Cirno frees what's left of the temple before heading back to the schoolhouse. In her sleep she meets Okina, who tells her what to do next.

As the Priestess's body disappears into smoke, I knelt down in exhaustion before taking a deep sip from my flask.

Flandre and Koishi were barely OK. Couldn't risk bringing them anymore if my quest hasn't yet been finished.

"It's over. What should we do now?" Flandre asked.

"No idea. But if that priestess is here... Then so does Hijiri. We need to find her."

Koishi however, stepped on a floorboard that sank a bit, and a hatch opened beneath our feet but we managed to hover over it (Daiyousei came to my aid, in carrying me while hovering). A giant staircase leads down towards a hidden altar corridor. And as we continued to walk across, we come upon a room where we see Hijiri, trapped inside.

We freed her, and she expressed her gratitude.

"Thank goodness you're here. Ichirin's gone mad..."

"You don't need to worry about that priestess anymore, Hijiri." I said.

She looked at Roukanken which I held on my right hand.

"You... Finished her?"

I nodded slowly.

"Thank goodness, we're free already! Oh, if it isn't the fairy turned elemental!" A figure said from behind Hijiri.

A black haired girl wearing a sailor uniform and hat.

"I hear that you just beat Ichirin. But I guess it's fine, since she's the one who locked us in!"

"Yes. She somehow won't listen to me... And went on her own accord."

"She believes that her way could save both Gensokyo and the World, but no. If the soul doesn't get it's elements back, the incident won't stop and the sun wouldn't be shining the earth."

"She told you, didn't she? Well I guess, we're glad you're alive. But now what should we do?"

I raised my shoulders as I don't know what to do next. I bid my farewells to the temple residents, and went back to Keine-Sensei's schoolhouse.

Both Satori and Remilia ran over and hugged their sisters, nearly choking them due to how tight their hugs are. I just smiled at them, before going in, and took a nap.

\-----

I awaken, in a black void.

"Do you hear me, Fairy?" A voice called out.

Then, doors appear and from one of them, comes out a woman in a majestic set of clothes.

"You..."

"That is right, fairy. I am Matara Okina. We have met before."

I readied my stance, but she stopped me by raising her palm.

"I am not your enemy, Fairy."

"Then what are you this time?"

"I am here to give you a new quest, one that would save this shambling world."

I shook, before I made a small frown and said "Alright then. I'll listen."

"Both before the end and after, me and the other sages sought to save the worlds. We built realms within which to work, each dedicated to a different method of salvation."

I see worlds... One is Gensokyo, the other being what seems to be the outside world, and the final one is one that is unfamiliar to me due to how dark, yet well lit the city where that world is.

"It was our duty... Mine, Yukari's and Shinki's; to shape the worlds that we know as of now. We created the Soul of Nature as well, and it gave life to the worlds. Ice, earth, light, dark, thunder, fire, water and time... All of them, were given by the Souls."

I see as the soul, at first a small speck of light, bursted and everything became what I once knew. A Gensokyo with living creatures, living in peace.

"But once, someone has summoned another soul, in which the world ended... And we had to create a new one after we apprehended the thief of nature..."

I looked to see the world, if none of the elements exist. The humans were as thin as paper and their bodies were filled with holes and black marks. Their eyes were glowing white, lifeless, empty, hopeless.

That applied to even those who aren't human, like how I see Momiji back then.

When the Soul of Nature bursts, a massive quake shook the world, as nature begins to fill the earth, and they managed to turn the hollows back to their original forms while some others remained hollow, and were swallowed up by the earth. Presumably those hollows were horrid sinners when they were still totally human.

"The Worlds shook for days, the fires burnt for weeks and when the ash settled, less than thousands of humans still lived. More Youkai were born out of their fear. We carried on, together, to rebuild and to renew."

Then I see a hill surrounded by a forest, which then bloomed with tall trees and beautiful flowers. And as time goes by, a shrine is built there, but what caught my attention is a cave on a mountain behind the shrine.

I recognize the shrine. It was the Hakurei Shrine... Where Reimu lived.

That's right, I didn't see Reimu at all this whole time. Is she alright?

"Listen. You must go there... Seek the current Hakurei Miko, who went there in search of a way to bring salvation. Return to me, with any evidence of her being there."

And the world turns black. After a moment, I slowly open my eyes, to see Daiyousei standing over me.

"Cirno-Chan, can you hear me? Love?"

"I know what I need to do."

Daiyousei nodded, and pulled me up gracefully before she flew me towards the foot of the hill, where on top, is where the Hakurei Shrine stood.

We both looked at each other, and smiled. I went over to the frozen bonfire beside the steps, took sometime to wait for the flask to refill itself and the both of us walked up.

It is time to leave Gensokyo as it is for now, and to another realm. I have the hunch that this realm is the realm that Mouse Youkai had mentioned.

The Mystic City, of Makai.

\- Ashes of Humanity, End


End file.
